The Perfect Catalyst
by lildaemon
Summary: Detective Ema Skye is having a wonderfully trouble-free week, when she stumbles into Rock Star-Prosecutor Klavier Gavin's office to discover a little something that changes her world. Post AJ. Rated for mild language and suggestive fops
1. 1: The Not So Foppish Week

Detective Ema Skye was in a great mood. Though she couldn't quite put her finger on the reason why, she was having an incredibly smooth, problem free week.

On Monday, she had arrived to work seconds before the Chief walked by her desk. The weekly meeting went by without any disasters, and she managed to slide by without picking up any new cases.

On Tuesday, Ema stepped into the precinct at the same time Mike Meekins walked in with two dozen donuts and muffins. She even managed to get a fresh cup of coffee from him before he spilled the rest on his way to the meeting room. To top it all off, the forensic investigator had called in sick that morning, leaving the forensics lab empty for the day - and free for Ema to scientifically investigate to her heart's content.

And yesterday, besides having another day to enjoy the forensics lab as she saw fit (the poor man had contracted laryngitis or something to that effect; she was a little too busy planning her day to have paid attention to the details), Ema managed to finish typing up all her reports in record time and went home early – for the first time ever!

Yes, this was undoubtedly an amazing week for Detective Ema Skye.

It wasn't until Ema returned from her fabulous lunch break on Thursday that she figured out why she was having such an enjoyable week.

"Fop, again?"

The Chief blinked in confusion. "What was that, Skye?"

Ema awkwardly cleared her throat, "I said, "Come again", sir?"

Giving her a somewhat curious yet concerned look, the Chief proceeded to repeat what he had said. "The case was reported just after you left for lunch. I've already stationed a few patrolmen to maintain the integrity of the crime scene, so I'd suggest you make your way over there after you've spoken to Prosecutor Gavin. I'll be waiting for a report of the situation from the two of you at the end of the day, so try not to dilly-dally all afternoon, Detective."

It was only through intensive daily training that Ema was able to keep a _fairly _neutral expression; she could feel her eye twitching and the edges of her mouth tightening. "I understand, sir. I'll go see Prosecutor Gavin immediately."

"Good. I've briefed him already so I'm sure he can't wait to see you, Skye." He monotonously replied before promptly turning away, leaving Ema to release her facial muscles to settle into a disgruntled frown and cold glare. "Oh, and if you need anything…" Upon seeing her expression, the Chief hurriedly muttered, "… I'm sure Gumshoe's around somewhere." - and rushed back off to the safe confines of his office.

Realization dawned upon the young, previously-happy, police detective of twenty-six. "That glimmerous fop!" she angrily muttered at the new case file that was dropped on her desk. "And the week was going so well too," she sighed. Gathering all her scientific tools into her bag, Ema picked up the manila file folder and dragged her feet all the way out the door. _The faster I get this over with, the faster I can get back to my fop-free week..._

* * *

Ema didn't always hate the Prosecutors' Office. It was actually quite a beautiful work of architecture and filled with all sorts of history. She remembered the countless stories Lana told her about all the great prosecutors who had worked there over the years. It used to be fun visiting Chief Prosecutor Lana, trying to help her big sisters solve cases. And of course, how could she ever forget the excitement of meeting the "King of Prosecutors", Miles Edgeworth or the thrills of doing a real scientific investigation with then-Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright. But apparently seven years had changed a lot of things at the Prosecutors' Office. A new breed of prosecutor had taken over - a glimmerier, foppier breed.

Ema Skye stared at the familiar large directory in the front foyer: PROSECUTOR KLAVIER GAVIN - RM 1202. With a heavy sigh, she pressed the up button. Standing alone in the elevator, Ema reminisced about her oh-so-enjoyable week – which is when it occurred to her how odd it was not to have seen or heard from that glimmerous fop of a prosecutor for three consecutive work days. After all, even if he didn't have an urgent case to discuss, he would still saunter around the precinct creating unnecessary commotion - or in his words, "Livening up the house". Thinking back, it _was_ peculiar that she hadn't seen him for all that week…

The elevator dinged loudly as it slowed to a stop on the twelfth floor. Clutching the case file a little tighter, Ema stepped out of the elevator into the quiet hallway. Immediately, her sharply tuned detective senses picked up something scientifically wrong. She slowly walked towards the reception desk only to find an "Out to Lunch" sign sitting where the secretary usually was. Pausing for a moment, Ema glanced from the sign to the phone on the desk and back. _I guess I should buzz him before I just storm in…_

Taking a step closer to the desk, she heard the floor creak under her weight as she leaned over towards the phone. Ema froze, her hand extended out in mid-air.

How could she have not realized the problem? _It's never this quiet here!_ Focussing down the hall, Ema turned away from the desk and began to step cautiously towards the office at the far end. The silence was extremely disconcerting for the young detective. Though _Rock God_ (Ema scoffed at the term) Klavier Gavin's office was soundproof, his door was almost never shut tight. "But, I must always welcome lovely fräuliens who wish to visit!" He explained that one time Ema complained to him. Even on the rare occasion the door was closed, Ema could still hear (and _feel_) the excessively loud pounding of the bass the moment she stepped out of the elevator. Except for today, where said detective was softly creeping toward the aforementioned prosecutor's office.

When she reached his door, Ema gently hovered her ear against the door in attempt to make out any sound within the office. _Maybe the fop forgot the appointment and went out for lunch with his secretary, _Ema wondered as she closed her eyes to focus. _Actually… I wouldn't put it past that glimmer--_

A male voice was speaking in a language that Ema definitely could not understand. She let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. And here she was worried that something was wrong.

"Stupid fop…" Ema grumbled as she straightened herself. Taking a breath, she gave the wooden door a few hard knocks. Hearing no response, she sighed and instinctively reached for the doorknob. This definitely wasn't the first time the _Rock God_ was too "busy" to answer his door - his attachment to those stringed noise-makers was an affection that escaped Ema's scientific understanding. Sometimes, she wondered if his loud music was permanently impairing his hearing…

Her thoughts were cut short as she forcefully opened the heavy door with pent up annoyance. "I have places to be so let's… make… this… fast…" Ema's voice trailed off as she took in the scene before her.

Her eyes first found the purpose of her entire trip, Prosecutor/Rock Star Klavier Gavin, who was standing with his back against the large glass windows, staring at her with wide eyes and mouth open - presumably in midsentence. Then her eyes fell on long gold locks flowing down the back of what Ema predicted to be a beautiful woman. It felt like the woman turned in slow motion to meet Ema's eyes, simultaneously affirming Ema's hypothesis. The tension in the air was overwhelming to the point of suffocating.

Feeling like a kid who had just walked in on two grown-ups talking about important grown-up things, Ema froze on the spot, eyes darting back and forth between the two in the room.

The silence was finally broken by a single whimper.

Ema's eyes couldn't help but shift towards the source of sound. She found herself locking stares with two all too familiar ice blue eyes. Except, they didn't belong to the prosecutor who was now swiftly walking towards here; they were the tear filled eyes of a toddler, sitting on a pile of lyric sheets mixed with case files.

Now, Ema is a detective, so it didn't take her long to put two and two together. Looking up from the young child, she was met with the ice blue eyes of a prosecutor, whose expression made the situation before her come into clarity.

_After careful scientific analysis, this is definitely not good. _

"Why don't I just meet you at the crime scene?" Ema blurted out, trying to keep her voice steady. Her eyes darted towards the doorknob that she was tightly clutching. Despite her proposal, she still couldn't will her legs to move and - _dammit - _Prosecutor Gavin was getting closer.

"Actually, I can send you the report and the evidence list when I'm done. I'll have that ready for you in a few hours." She was able to force her foot to slide a small step backwards. _Now just gotta close this REALLY heavy door..._

"Fräulien-" Klavier's voice cut through Ema's ingenious plotting. "-Skye."

Ema's sharp senses were now on overdrive: he never called her by her last name. Something akin to panic overtook Ema as Klavier gently took her by the wrist and pulled her hand off the doorknob.

"Please come in. We've been waiting for you."

A pathetically weak laugh escaped Ema's throat, as Klavier "moved" her into the room and closed the door behind her.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**[2009.02.08]** Many apologies. l fixed a few typos and grammatical problems due to a 5am proof-reading job - please feel free to point out more! All forms of constructive criticism are welcome and greatly appreciated!

**[2009.02.10]** Did some research using Court-Records(.net) and updated some small details that may affect the story later on.  
1) I was going back and forth on this but final decision: Ema should be 26. For those who are interested as to how I ended up with that number...  
In PW: AA, Ema was 16 during the time span of Case 5, which took place in Feb 2017. In AJ, Ema is 25 throughout the entire all four cases, from April - October 2025, which is when the last case in AJ ended. Doing the math, it has been 8 years since the end of PW:AA and the beginning of AJ, but Ema is 9 years older than her former PW self. Therefore, her bday must be between Feb and April. If you go on to read the next chapter, today's date is February 9, 2027, just over a year after the last case in AJ and (as I have right now decided) _before _Ema has turned 27. As for Klavier, we'll just say he's a January baby and is now 26! Scientifically sound? I sure hope so! ~hehe  
Keeping all this in mind, Ema's had another lovely year+ working together with Klavier.  
Ah... the main reason I'm trying to be accurate with the ages is that it will affect the timeline of this story - and I realized that it would be helpful to have a chronologically coherent story!  
2) I'm going to go with the assumption that Prosecutor Klavier Gavin has taken over High Prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth's office which was 1202. So now Prosecutor Gavin's office is 1202.


	2. 2: A Fopping Heartbreaker

The moment Ema heard the click of the door closing behind her, the golden-haired beauty unleashed a fury of foreign phrases in a tone that Ema could understand in any language. She felt Klavier's hand release her wrist as he stepped past her and towards the woman, brusquely responding in the same foreign tongue. In nothing less than a state of shock, Ema could do little but watch the incomprehensible verbal exchange between the two (what Ema scientifically presumed to be) Germans.

Indeed. At that point in time, Ema Skye was completely at loss as to what on _earth _was going down in Prosecutor Klavier Gavin's office.

In attempt to appear as if she was _not_ gawking at the scene before her, Ema looked towards the only other person left in the room – who to her mild amusement seemed to be completely indifferent to the three adults in the room. Upon first glance,_ cute! _was Ema's initial impression. His blonde hair was still soft and wispy, framing his chubby cheeks quite nicely – _characteristic of infants approximately eight months of age_. Curious blue eyes appeared to be gazing in front of him – _likely examining the strange new area surrounding him._ Ema inadvertently stole a glance at Klavier, whose own blue eyes were now fixed in a cold stare. Looking back to towards the child she couldn't help but sigh – _You're gonna grow up to be one hell of a heartbreaker, kiddo…_

Admittedly, Ema was not fond of children; if she was forced to pinpoint any reason, it had to be because they were just (strictly scientifically speaking) complete mysteries. Of course, growing up, she did her fair share of babysitting, but frankly, after repeatedly testing multiple hypotheses, the conclusion was that she, Ema Skye, was just completely inept at understanding young children. For example, why would an infant sitting perfectly content on a pile of Gavinners' lyrics be grasping at the empty air before him?

_--Ah, perhaps he's reaching for that blue stuffed elephant in front of him, Ms. Scientific Investigator Extraordinaire?_ Ema resisted the urge to mentally kick herself.

Confirming that the two others were still engrossed in their argument, Ema hesitantly kneeled down next to the apparently forgotten child, who was reaching with all of his might. Picking up the small toy, Ema could feel those blue eyes following her every action as she closed the distance between chubby hands and object of desire. She met his eyes with a small smile as she felt his stubby little fingers wrap around the soft object in her hand. Her efforts were well repaid with a dimpled grin, bearing a striking resemblance to another glimmerous, though less dimpled grin she was often _gifted_ with. _Yup, a real fopping heartbreaker…_

Before Ema even had the chance to finish her thought, the tiny hands before her gave the stuffed elephant an enthusiastic squeeze, resulting in an unpredictably loud squeak for a baseball sized critter. Caught completely off-guard, Ema fell back on her heels, landing on her bottom. Turning her head nervously, she found herself the target of piercing gold eyes and a barrage of incomprehensible words. Without allowing Ema a chance to even open her mouth, the mysterious woman took a step forward.  
--Only to be intercepted.

"My apologies, Fräulein." How Klavier had suddenly managed to appear right next to Ema was anyone's guess. Rather uncharmingly, he pulled Ema up by the upper arm and started to drag her towards his desk. He was now speaking in a low voice that Ema had never heard him use before. "This situation is rather unpleasant for the both of us. I did not mean for you to get in the crossfire."

Amidst all the panic and confusion, Ema felt a pang of sympathy for the glimmerous fop beside her. It was unsettling seeing the usually peppy prosecutor giving off such a dour vibe.

Finding her voice again, Ema stammered, "You're obviously in the middle of something. I can come back later-"

"-That is not necessary." He curtly cut her off, his voice back to its usual tone. "You see, I am currently stuck in a… bind, if you will, one that only a lovely fräulein such as yourself can help me out of."

Feeling another rush of panic, Ema tried to resist the direction he was pulling her in. After all, Ema was a smart detective and a fast learner; she had quickly learned (_empirically, too!)_ that nothing good ever came out of Klavier Gavin's buttering up.

But of course, Prosecutor Gavin was a pretty fast learner himself and perhaps sensing Ema's dragging feet, he turned to the detective with a familiar and all too charming smile. "There is nothing to worry about, Fräulein Skye. I assure you that no harm will come out of this."

In contrary to his words, Ema's worries only multiplied – especially being referred to as Fräulein Skye again. Though against her scientific and rational judgement, Ema allowed Gavin to drag her to his desk where she was met with two neat stacks of papers.

"You see…" Klavier gestured towards to the golden-haired woman, "We are… coming to an agreement of sorts and are currently in need of a witness to seal the deal, as it is said. Would you be so kind as to sign for us?"

He might as well have explained in German because Ema simply stared at him blankly.

Pointing to one of the stacks of paper on the desk, Klavier said more pointedly, "Sign on the line please, Fräulein Skye."

Feeling even more uncomfortable under the intense stare of a talented prosecutor, Ema looked down at the papers before her. Upon first glance, they both appeared the same, though the one on the right was not written in English.

_I, Ema Skye, have witnessed the formal agreement between Klavier Gavin and Lorelei Holtzheim, signed on the 9th of February of the year… blahblahblah… in accordance with Section 10… blahblahblah… may not be retracted by either parties… blahblahblah..._

Ema frowned at all the technical jargon on the paper, but continued reading regardless. However, as she continued reading, she was becoming increasingly filled with dread as the purpose came into clarity. In the midst of all the legal terminology and unnecessarily complicated sentence structure, Ema could still make out the main point behind this entire document. _What the hell have you gotten yourself into...?_

Looking up at Klavier, Ema willed her voice to steady. "You want me to sign this legally binding contract?"

Klavier flashed her a bright smile. "Nothing gets past you, does it, Fräulein?"

"I won't."

The smile quickly faltered into solemn stare. "I promise you: there is nothing in that entire contract that binds you in anyway."

"That's not the point. The contents are-"

"The contents are none of your concern. You simply need to sign on the dotted-"

"I won't sign something that I don't support!"

"Fräulein-"

"**She's **_**blackmailing **_**you, Klavier!**"

No one was more surprised by Ema's sudden outburst than the speaker herself. She was staring at Klavier, an incredulous expression on her face; one hand clutching the neglected case file, free hand pointing at the woman she had just accused of crime. And as Ema had gathered from the contract, Lorelei Holtzheim was her name.

Said woman had been staring out the window, cradling the baby boy in her arms – specifically her baby boy. But blackmail probably sounded like an ugly term in any tongue, as Lorelei was now regarding Ema with a cold look of indifference.

Ema forced herself to meet the other woman's steely gaze. "Did you understand that? **BLACKMAIL, **_**FRÄULEIN HOLTZHEIM**_!"

"That's unnecessary, Ema!" Klavier snapped, though the proud twinkle in his eyes betrayed his tone.

"Does she even understand English?" Ema snapped back, turning her icy glare onto Klavier.

"No." Klavier muttered, "But I am sure she understands that look on your face."

"Well good! Maybe then she'll understand _why_ I'm not going to sign your ludicrous contract – **agreeing to her outrageous terms**!" Ema practically shouted the last of her statement across the room.

Returning her attention to Klavier, she looked ready to punch him. "How can you go along with this, _Prosecutor Gavin_? You're the one always going on about _truth _and _justice_, yet you allow yourself to be subjected to these shady demands? What are you thinking?"

Surprisingly, Klavier had no smart retort prepared, instead opting to divert his gaze. "I have no other options."

His response was so soft that Ema could barely hear it. The weight of his words floored her – completely extinguishing the rage that overtook her moments ago. With a heavy sigh, Ema could only stare at the contracts in silence.

"Klavier!"

Ema felt the hairs on the back of her neck tingle. She could easily imagine how Klavier was swept off his feet by this woman. The combination of her melodious voice and regal accent practically changed the prosecutor's name into a spell. Throw in a bit of alcohol and some of the fop's romantic music and you'd be hard pressed _not _to wind up with a baby. _But that sure as hell doesn't justify what she's demanding of him!_

Klavier's subdued voice broke her thoughts. "Lorelei says her plane leaves in three hours. She needs to head to the airport soon."

"What could be more important than determining the future of her son?" Ema bitterly snapped.

"Her wedding anniversary tonight."

His blunt, toneless answer caused Ema to practically feel the crushing impact of her heart hitting the floor. "I see," was all she could muster.

Greeted again by her silence, Klavier sighed, "I am sorry that I did not explain the situation to you sooner, but please understand that in these circumstances, I have no one else to trust. Please, Ema, help me."

Ema looked up at Klavier with a conflicted conscience and a heavy heart. Klavier Gavin was a legal icon and rock _god_ – two images that could easily be destroyed if his little indiscretion were to go public. And though she'd never admit it, somewhere along the road Klavier had managed to worm his way into her personal life. He was asking for her help not as her superior asking his colleague, not as a celebrity asking his fan, but as a friend asking a friend. _If for no other reason, he's my friend…_

"Alright, let's get this over with then." Ema finally conceded, flipping through the English version of the contract. Though her eyes were focussed on the documents, she could still see Klavier's sad smile in her peripheral vision.

Trying her best to ease the situation, Ema forced herself to grumble, "Since some of us have planes to catch, why don't you sum up this novel for me, fop. What are the terms of agreement?"

Prosecutor Klavier Gavin's response was succinct and clear as ever: "Lorelei Holtzheim will forfeit all rights as Aleksander Holtzheim Gavin's legal birth mother; in other words, she will disown him, thereby all the rights will be given onto the father, Klavier Gavin. Aleksander will from this point forward be known as solely Aleksander Gavin and will be fully custody of his father. The conditions tied to the agreement are such: Lorelei Holtzheim will never speak of her relation to Klavier and Aleksander Gavin to any individual, regardless of circumstances, unless under oath. Klavier Gavin is also bound to those exact same terms, in addition to paying a onetime sum of £2 000 000."

"Why are you giving her money, again?" Ema grumbled as she absently flipped through the last few pages, hoping she would find the end soon.

"She said it's a fair exchange: one million for ruining her career and one million for ruining her body." Klavier answered with a noncommittal shrug. Ema had no idea where the word _fair _fit into that explanation, so she simply chose to maintain her blank stare. As she opened her mouth to further inquire, Lorelei's impatient voice cut her off.

"I'm signing your stupid papers, lady!" Ema turned and snarled at the woman. Acting as if Ema never spoke, Lorelei continued to speak to Klavier in her hurried voice.

Klavier's response was abrupt. "I still have to go pick up Aleksander's belongings from her hotel room." He said in English. Then somewhat meekly he added, "I am sorry to rush you, Fräulein, but could you perhaps…"

"I get it!" Ema growled in annoyance as she snatched the pen resting on Klavier's desk. Setting her pen on the paper, she took a deep breath. "So, this is arrangement is fine with you? You are absolutely sure this is what you want, right?"

With an obviously forced glimmerous smile, he chirped, "Ja!"

Forcing a smile of her own, Ema steadied her hand as her signature flowed onto the contracts. After signing both copies, she took a step back and watched as Klavier Gavin moved in to sign away the rest of his life.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**[2009.02.09] **_Lorelei_ is a name of German origin meaning "alluring enchantress". An appropriate name for her character, I believe. And she will be signing the papers and disappearing next chapter...  
Let's not dwell on the (likely inaccurate) legal details now – this _is_ the Phoenix Wright/Apollo Justice legal system after all! (Though please feel free to point out any glaring contradictions!)  
Background is almost done... *whew*


	3. 3: Taking it One Fop at a Time

_I could really use a bag of Snackoos right about now_, Ema wistfully sighed as she watched the train wreck in front of her.

At that moment, Klavier Gavin was attempting to take an eight month old baby – his_ eight month old baby_, Ema corrected herself – from a more than disgruntled mother. Needless to say, rock star-prosecutors were not faced with young children very often, thus Klavier's baby-carrying skills were a little more than lacking.

_From this angle, it looks like he's going to end up holding the poor kid upside-down. _Ema tilted her head a little to the right. _Oh, oh… almost! Though, I don't think legs usually bend at that angle…_

In an act of frustration, Lorelei shouted another string of angry sounding German words at the struggling prosecutor/rock star/father. Ema couldn't entirely blame the woman: her flight was getting closer to leaving, yet here she was playing hot potato with a man who she claimed had ruined both her career _and_ body.

Nevertheless, it's not every day one gets to witness the infinitely cool and cocky Klavier Gavin in a panicked frenzy – _Hell, it's barely ever! –_ so for the briefest of moments, Ema considered _not _helping the failure of a fop; but alas, Ema Skye was a good friend and friends help friends, right?

_But it's just so amusing watching him squirm, _her inner demon bluntly admitted.

_Ahhhh… so true… _Ema mused, watching Klavier sweat up a storm - his limbs looked as if they were caught in a tangle.

_But remember, time's a-wasting, Detective! You still have a crime scene to scientifically investigate!_ Her rationality quickly piped up, _The faster you get those papers signed, the faster you can get Prosecutor Gavin to work!_

Ema straightened with a start. _That's right! The _actual _reason I'm here._ She stared down at the case file that she was still clutching tightly in her hand. With a half-hearted sigh, Ema placed the file folder on the ground and decided it was time to clean up this mess.

"Here, let me take him, Klavier." Ema mumbled, reaching out her arms unenthusiastically.

The scene before her froze, as both parties realized that their witness was still present. For a split second, they both looked like there were going to resume the struggle, but Klavier practically jumped back from Lorelei, offering his spot.

"Thank you, Fräulein!" He breathed a sigh of relief.

Ema had been in a lot of awkward situations, but taking your superior's love child from his married ex-lover's arms definitely had to top it all. Stepping up to Lorelei, she gently scooped one arm behind Aleksander's knees and the other under his back. With a gentle _oomph, _Ema pulled the tiny bundle towards her body and out of his mother's lukewarm embrace. Making sure to support the little boy's head, she settled him into a more comfortable position and slowly backed away. Lorelei's expression was unreadable, but her face certainly didn't scream heartbreak at the prospect of parting with her son forever.

"There. That wasn't so hard now, was it?" She whispered soothingly in response to Aleksander's quiet whimpers, allowing her dormant motherly intuition to take command. _And here I thought I wouldn't be needing Snackoos this week._

Instantaneously, the tension in the room seemed to loosen a bit as Klavier was able to breathe again and Lorelei finally began adding the final set of signatures onto the contract.

By the time everything was finally done and meticulously checked over multiple times by the perfectionist of a prosecutor, Ema's arms were sore from securing the restless little fop in her arms and the urge to crunch on something was becoming too much to bear.

"Alright, we're all done here." Klavier announced, sliding one copy of the contract into a hidden drawer in his desk and locking it, while Lorelei tucked the other into her designer tote bag. With a final icy glance towards Ema and not so much as a goodbye to Aleksander, the gold-haired beauty promptly turned on her three-inch heels and rather anticlimactically walked out the door.

_Now to deal with the fops…_

"So what's next?" Ema tried not to grunt, as she shifted Aleksander in her arms for the umpteenth time.

"I am going to move all of Aleksander's things from the hotel room to my flat," He paused in thought, a small smile forming on his face, "and I suppose we shall go from there. I truly do not know how to ever properly thank you for this, Ema." His eyes were once again the bright, hope filled eyes of the glimmerous, fop Ema had somehow befriended.

"Well, you can start by learning how to properly hold your own kid." Ema joked good-naturedly, but she nonetheless turned the boy towards Klavier, hoping he'd take the hint.

Looking even more uncomfortable than the time Apollo had tried to "perceive" him, Klavier sheepishly suggested, "Perhaps, you could keep Aleksander with you?"

Ema's eye gave an uncharacteristic twitch. "No, I can_not_! In case you've forgotten, _Prosecutor Gavin_, we are _both _supposed to be at a crime scene right now, but after taking into consideration your _dire _circumstances, I have _kindly_ volunteered to do the investigation solo, so I hope you understand that I can't exactly parade around with a baby all afternoon."

To her horror, Klavier appeared to be seriously pondering the possibility.

"Oh, for crying out loud, fop, I just signed your encyclopaedia-sized contracts _and _saved your-_noodlesforarms_-ass the trouble of carrying your _son_ for the past half hour! You can't seriously ask me to bring him to the precinct now!"

"Fräulein, please! I promise I will take him as soon as I-"

"You have _some _nerve, _even_ for a glimmerous fop!" Ema's tone and volume both dangerously dropped as she poked him hard in the chest to add emphasis. She pointedly glared at up at him, before turned and stormed away from him, mini-fop in arms.

--Only to turn back after two steps, giving the prosecutor an expectant stare. "…The least you can do is hand me the case file!!!" She cried in frustration at his blank expression. _Did this whole ordeal render him _completely_ useless?!_

Swiftly grabbing the manila file folder off the floor, Klavier tucked it securely in Ema's free arm, before giving her a somewhat mysterious smile she didn't recognize.

"What now, fop?!" Ema growled, taking a step back from him. "Actually, no… do _not_ answer that. I don't want to know! I am going to leave before you plot another way to take advantage of my goodwill!"

And then, he laughed. The sound froze Ema on the spot – even Aleksander stopped squirming and turned his gaze. It wasn't quite the hearty chuckle that was characteristic of Klavier Gavin, but it was certainly an improvement over the look of despair he had been wearing earlier.

"Nothing. It just feels as if a huge weight has been taken off of my chest. And it is all thanks to your labour, Fräulein – quite literally too." His eyes twinkled with a familiar mirth that even managed to lighten Ema's now less-than-pleasant mood.

--But in no way was that going to make her investigation any easier.

"Just hurry up and do your moving, fop!" She grumbled sourly as she attempted to simultaneously readjust _both_ contents in her arms.

And finally, after a short struggle with the door knob – _where the useless fop bemusedly watched_, Ema managed to escape his twilight zone of an office with the case file, mini-fop and _just barely, _her sanity.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**[2009.02.11]** Please read the [2009.02.10] updated A/N at the bottom of Chapter 1 if you haven't yet. I've made some minor adjustments to character details that _may_ affect the rest of the story.  
And I thought I'd just mention that OCs will be kept to a minimum – after all, the PW/AJ universe gives us so many fun personalities to play with already! (And in case you're unfamiliar with some of the characters, Court-Records(.net) makes a very useful reference tool)  
**[2009.02.15] **Why did I think they were called "Snackadoos"? I have no idea, but I've made that correction.

**And finally, a heartfelt thanks to those who took the time to review. Every review truly means a lot to me and reading them really gives me the encouragement to continue! I was originally super anxious about how this crazy idea would be received, so thanks for flying with it so far.**


	4. 4: The New Fop on the Block

In retrospect, Ema had made two glaring mistakes that day. The first was quite obvious: thoughtlessly rushing into Prosecutor Klavier Gavin's office.

_Remember, Ema: if the fop doesn't answer his door, don't open it! _This certainly wasn't the first time Ema had berated herself about this. It wasn't too long ago that she had quite unintentionally opened the door on a shirtless Klavier Gavin who was in the process of changing. She could still vividly remember that pompous smirk plastered on his face as he accused her of being a "_little peeping-fräulein_" before she slammed the door on him. _But c'mon, who just casually undresses in their office anyways?!_

The latter of her two mistakes did not become apparent until Ema had made it back to the ground floor of the local prosecutors' office, with a file folder tucked under one arm and Klavier's newly discovered infant son secured in the other. To her pleasant surprise, Aleksander Gavin was turning out to be an impeccably well behaved little cutie. He sat quite contently in Ema's arms, quietly playing with his squeaky stuffed elephant as they two of them made their way across the marble foyer and out the large revolving doors.

It was right then Ema realized her second mistake: thoughtlessly rushing _out_ of Prosecutor Klavier Gavin's office.

On the other side of the revolving doors, Lorelei Holtzheim had not yet completely climbed into her taxi cab.

Hoping that Aleksander wouldn't notice her departure, Ema quickly began walking towards the bus stop. But of course, before Ema had even finished her silent prayer, a quiet whimper had already escaped Aleksander's little mouth. He began to lean dangerously away from Ema's protective hold in futile efforts to reach out for his mother; Ema quickly pulled the little boy back only to be met with a defiant cry and fierce resistance.

She could only watch in distress as Lorelei's cab pulled away, taking with it the little control Ema had over the other woman's son; Aleksander was now forcefully struggling against her embrace. Having no idea how to calm an angry baby, Ema wrapped both arms tightly around the young boy's body and tried her best to soothingly shush him. But to no avail.

It wasn't until she arrived at the bus stop a block away that Aleksander had finally stopped trying to wriggle out of her hold – instead, he opted to despairingly sob into her left shoulder. But her troubles were far from over. From the moment they stepped onto the bus, he began wailing at the top of his lungs and _nothing_ Ema said or did could even mildly subdue his outburst. To further add to her embarrassment, a local university student sitting across from her even had the audacity to complain to her!

"Would it be empirically achievable to impose your matriarchal authority upon the infant in your possession, and consequently diminishing the copious amounts of vibrations emanating from your offspring's well-developed vocal cords – by this I do not mean the false vocal cords located beneath the epiglottal-"

Ema hopped off the steps before the bus even came to a complete stop. The glares of all the other passengers were suffocating; she'd much rather walk the two stops to the precinct than be scrutinized by strangers – _especially a damn panty-snatching stranger_.

Much to her relief, the slow walking pace had managed to calm Aleksander's uncontrollable bawling to soft sniffles. By the time Ema reached the steps of the precinct, the poor boy was gently clinging to her, eyelids heavy from all the crying.

_Literally cried himself dry… _Ema reflected sadly, as she walked into the quiet lobby. Pausing briefly only to check the directory, the young detective immediately made a beeline for the child care centre – which was, as luck would have it, in the opposite direction of the Criminal Affairs Department.

_Now I just have to hope I don't bump into anyone._

This was going to be the first time Ema had personally visited the precinct childcare centre, let alone put it to use. Her pulse started to race as she spotted a bright rainbow coloured sign at the end of the long hallway. Turning the corner, Ema found herself face to face with an all too familiar vacant stare.

"Ah… Officer Meekins," Ema greeted with dread. Spotting the megaphone at his side, she unconsciously held the once again docile Aleksander closer to her.

"Good afternoon, Sir-Ma'am!!!" He practically shouted at her. "Welcome to Detective Daycare!!! Do you need a detective?!"

Ema's anxiety sky rocketed. "Uh… no. I need a daycare."

"THEN YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE, SIR-MA'AM!"

_Could his voice get _any_ louder?! _Ema winced.

"Are _you_ in charge here, Officer Meekins?"

"Yes, Sir-Ma'am! I am in charge of making sure no unauthorized personnel pass through these doors!" Placing a finger on his chin, he thoughtfully added "Although, that includes me."

Those words managed to quell the most immediate of the young detective's worries. Unsure of how to proceed, the Ema nodded towards the boy in her arms. "Well, I need to drop off this child, so if you could just let us through…"

"**LICENCE AND REGISTRATION, PLEASE****!**" The megaphone had instantaneously materialized in his hand.

Clutching Aleksander for dear life, she forced the most polite smile she could manage. Discreetly pushing the giant amplifier away, Ema quickly explained, "I don't have a… a _licence _or_ registration _for the daycare. This is just going to be a single visit."

A set of forms were shoved in her face. "Authorized personnel only! Please proceed with registration, Sir-Ma'am!"

Ema baulked at the multiple booklets in disbelief. _Are they asking for an entire biography?_

Trying a different strategy, Ema sucked up her pride and flashed her most foppish smile at the stern officer blocking her path. "Please, _Mike_! I just need to leave this little angel here for a few hours while I go _very quickly _investigate a crime scene. I'll be back before you know it!"

"I CANNOT BREAK PROTOCOL, SIR-MA'AM!!"

Ema felt Aleksander beginning to stir in her arms. A familiar sense of dread began to resurface as Ema shoved Meekins' megaphone aside and hissed as loudly as one is physically able to hiss, "Listen, Meekins! As we speak, there is a crime scene out there being tainted by the untrained hands of non-scientific investigators, while I am stuck here carrying an extremely agitated baby. Just let me through!"

"I AM NOT AUTHORIZED TO GIVE AUTHORIZATION FOR UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL TO ENTER." How his unaided voice still managed to be so loud was a scientific mystery.

"I am asking you watch a baby _sleep_ for three hours!"

"I AM NOT AUTHORIZED TO GIVE AUTHORIZATION FOR UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL TO ENTER."

Snatching the papers from his hands, Ema gave up, "Alright, I get it! Could you give me a-"

"I AM NOT AUTHORIZED-"

Ema practically ran towards the lobby doors.

* * *

_Well, that was an epic failure._ Ema sighed as she flopped down onto an empty bench outside of the precinct. The _only_ thing she had managed to successfully do was keep Aleksander asleep.

_Is this what it feels like to be a single parent: juggling a job and a kid? _Ema mused. _But I'm not even the parent here…_

"I'm definitely holding onto the short end of the stick, aren't I, kiddo?" Her complaint was answered with more drool on her shoulder. _Yup – and it's not gonna getting any longer…_

With the precision and control of a trained scientific investigator, Ema carefully set Aleksander into her lap, allowing his little head to rest against her chest. Then, she skilfully plucked the beloved stuffed elephant out of Aleksander's loose grip, stuffing it into the safety of her pocket. Ema relaxed into the bench in exhaustion; she had just come full circle, right back where she started: no prosecutor, no investigation, no Snackoos.

Without even realizing, Ema had begun to therapeutically stroke Aleksander's soft blonde locks, falling deep into thought. In the last hour and forty-eight minutes she had managed to confirm many things about Klavier Gavin: he was indeed the enticing playboy she feared he would be; he would protect his flawless image to the extent that he had accepted blackmail; and he was a hopelessly glimmerous fop that was a complete failure at anything other than being a glimmerous fop… _and maybe, prosecuting._

"Stupid fop," she muttered angry, though her sad gaze at Aleksander undermined that anger.

Klavier had his work cut out for him – that was for sure. Between his full time job as a regional prosecutor and his widely successful musical career (which luckily was on hiatus), Ema couldn't imagine how he would now be able to find time to raise a child. She had stormed out of his office in such a fit of frustration that she hadn't even thought of the bigger picture.

_But never mind the bigger picture, what am I supposed to do _now_? _She stared at the thick stack of forms in her other hand miserably.

_Well, I've already signed away one life today, what's one more?_

Taking care not to jar the sleeping cutie, the young detective proceeded to blindly scrounge around in her bulky purse, hoping to find a pen, while her skilled eyes skimmed the detailed forms.

Basic Applicant Information. _No idea… no idea… no idea…_

Applicant – Background Report. _Even less idea…_

Applicant – Special Notification Form. _What the hell does this even mean?_

Parent/Guardian Information. _Ah… something I do know! _Ema fumbled with her pen cap for a moment before she managed to legibly fill in her own name. Smiling proudly, her eyes found the next question.

Surname of Child. The smile quickly faded; this was getting nowhere fast.

In an act of wild frustration, Ema impulsively printed the first German name that came to mind, "**E-****R-L-E-N-M-E-Y-E-R**" – in honour of her favourite piece of lab equipment. Finding this new procedure yielded a significantly greater rate of efficiency, the young detective continued through the questionnaire with a new found optimism.

_Hang on, Crime Scene, Scientific Investigator Ema Skye is on her way!_

* * *

Holding the still sleeping Aleksander closely against her chest, Ema thrust the forms at Mike Meekins, completely filled out in neat, bold printing as per instructed. He accepted them with a sharp salute and immediately held them up to within inches of his face.

Instinctively replacing her free hand over the drowsy infant's exposed ear, she took half a step back, patiently waiting for Meekins's approval.

"Al-ek-sand-er?" Meekins phonetically enunciated every syllable slowly. Ema almost cringed at how he butchered the name.

"Alex." She offered helpfully.

"My name is Mike Meekins, Sir-Ma'am!" He stated with another salute.

Pulling Aleksander a little closer, Ema clenched her jaw. _At least he put away that damn megaphone._

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-six." Ema answered with a raised brow. _Is that relevant?_

"I was asking Al-ek-san-"

"-Nine months." Ema blurted out, hoping that's also what she also wrote on the form.

Mike Meekins looked right at Ema with his vacant stare. He then pointed to the second line on the "DaYcArE RuLz" printed on the door next to him. "Only those older than two years of age are allowed to enter!"

Ema gaped at him in disbelief. "You have _got _to be kidding me!"

Meekins handed back the stack of forms with a completely straight face, "No jokes here, Sir-Ma'am!"

"Could you have perhaps mentioned that rather important detail _before _you sent me away to fill out these booklets?!"

Meekins looked ready to shout something back, but instead reverted back to his thoughtful look. After a short pause, his painfully simple response was, "That's a good idea!"

Resisting the urge to _ka-tonk_ Meekins straight in the forehead with her pen, Ema ripped the papers out of Meekins's hands, turning red with fury.

"**WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN AT DETECTIVE DAYCARE!**" Meekins bellowed through his megaphone...

... And directly into Aleksander's uncovered ear. Ema watched in horror as the little boy's face scrunched up into a grumpy frown, before opening his mouth to release a loud wail.

The genie had been released from its bottle. The gloves were off and Detective Ema Skye was ready to spill blood.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**[2009.02.15] **I am not a native of Los Angeles, but according to The Weather Network, it is about 16degreesC/60degreesF in LA today, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Ema can (realistically) comfortably walk outdoors in her characteristic lab-coat-capris outfit in February in LA.

**Thanks for your patience and to everyone who's still sticking around thus far. I've actually had this chapter ready for editing a few days ago, but then I got a sudden bout of inspiration to write a light and simple Valentine's Day one-shot starring Apollo Justice and featuring Klavier Gavin and Ema Skye (please take a read if you have the time - I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did writing it!)  
**Is the story going a little too slowly? I have a pretty good idea of where I want to take you guys, but getting there is going to take a few important steps. The biggest "problem" (if it can even be called that) is that if we just get from A to B (in our case, intro to climax to denoument) then I don't think it'd be a very _fun_ story. And I'm just having so much fun playing around with these characters. And to think I haven't even introduced the craziest lot yet - I am of course referring to the Wrights.  
ANYHOW, my point is that I'm hoping the plot isn't going too slowly and that you guys are enjoying the character interactions, because really, this story is all about character interaction and growth - there's really no exciting _plot _in the truest sense.  
As for the rate of the updates, I get inspired by random conversations or events, so I have a bunch of sporadic scenes ready for the next few chapters - but I just have to fill in the blanks (you know... so we can have a logical and cohesive story... yay!), so bare with me while I try to crank out releases at a _somewhat_ consistent pace. I'll try to keep my Profile updated with this info so in the future I won't have to bore you guys with these long and personal A/Ns.

**AND AGAIN, ****THANKS FOR READING AND REVIEWING! Reviews are my Snackoos, so if you have a moment to spare, please feed me?**


	5. The First Interlude: Ode to Gumshoe

This is not known to most people, but Dick Gumshoe really likes children. When asked why, he's often too embarrassed to admit but, he truly enjoys playing with kids. In light of this fact, it then wouldn't be especially surprising to find Detective Gumshoe voluntarily helping out down at the Detective Daycare on any given day.

It had been a pretty quiet Thursday for our normally busy detective. Apparently, the forensic investigator down at the lab had some sort of throat problem (_larry-gitis or something weird_) so the case he was in charge of had to be put on hold until the evidence could be properly analyzed, leaving Gumshoe a few hours free that afternoon. Not one to skip work, he decided to pay a visit to the kids at the Detective Daycare to help pass the time.

They were only at half capacity today, so it was pretty quiet at the childcare centre too. Arriving shortly after his 1pm lunch break, Gumshoe was immediately given the chore of preparing the blankets and futons for the upcoming nap time, followed by one of his favourite tasks: putting the younger children to sleep. That afternoon, he told them another exciting tale of Mr. Edgeworth, the Legendary Prosecutor and his defensive sidekick, Phoenix. Today's story ended with the heroic rescue of Mystic Maya after defeating the evil Shelly de Killer. With the adventures of the Legendary Prosecutor still fresh in their minds, Gumeshoe sent the aspiring heroes off to dream of their own pursuits to one day become a Legendary Prosecutor as well.

While the more obedient ones slept, Gumshoe's main job was to entertain the children who did not nap. Often this was accomplished by telling more stories, or playing board games, or in today's case, drawing pictures of Phoenix, and his spiky hair/feathers.

Indeed, it was on that very quiet Thursday afternoon at the Detective Daycare that Dick Gumshoe happened to hear a loud clamour just outside of the childcare area; he jumped out of his chair with a start and quickly rushed to the doors…

… To be completely shocked at the scene he found outside the daycare entrance.

One of the relatively young female detectives from his department was in one arm tightly clutching a bawling blonde haired baby boy, while the other arm was forcefully yanking on a megaphone which had its cord wrapped around a fallen Mike Meekins's neck. With a firm foot implanted into Meekins's back, Detective Ema Skye was shrieking random phrases through the amplifier and straight into his ear, completely oblivious to Gumshoe's presence.

"Hey, pal! What're you doing here?" Gumshoe shouted over her booming voice.

He watched as the angered detective looked up from the body on the ground; her eyes widened in shock as she made eye contact with him. The megaphone was released from her death grip and collided into Meekins's head with a dull thud. She managed a choked cry, "Detective Gumshoe!"

"Aren't you supposed to be out investigating a crime scene right now?" the older detective asked with his characteristic frown. He noticed Ema seemed to be extremely frazzled as her hair was in slightly more of a disarray than usual and her glasses were sitting askew on her head.

She was somewhat gasping for air as she blurted out an explanation, "Yes, sir, I am! Well, I'm trying – trying to get to the crime scene, I mean. I ran into… uh…" her eyes flickered to the still crying baby in her arms, "… some trouble on the way… er, back from the prosecutor's office and now I really need to use the daycare centre, but Officer Meekins wouldn't let me in and… and…"

She closed her eyes as her voice trailed off. The expression on Ema's face told Gumshoe that she was just about ready to cry along with the child. Tightening her embrace, Ema began gently patting the back of the child in her arms as she leaned her head against his, begging him to stop crying. It seemed to have little effect though; the baby continued to wail at the top of his lungs.

The distressed detective took a deep breath and stared Gumshoe dead in the eyes with a look of desperation. "Please, Detective Gumshoe! Can you please help me out?"

Gumshoe couldn't possibly say "no" to the large, tear-filled eyes of the kind and sweet Ema Skye. With a sigh, he opened the door for the troubled detective before him, "Come on in, pal."

* * *

It was another five minutes before Gumshoe was able figure out what was going on.

Meekins had a great deal of difficulty untangling himself from the spiral cord of his megaphone, so it took a fair amount of effort, on Gumshoe's part, to get him onto his feet and back in his position as the doorman. Detective Gumshoe was thoroughly surprised when the officer then stated that he was very adamantly against Ema's entrance as he shoved Aleksander's registration forms into his superior's face, repeating the fact the baby was only 9 months old. After a lengthy discussion about unique exceptions and personal judgement, Detective Gumshoe was finally able to leave Meekins to contently guard the door, as he headed back into the daycare with a stack of forms in his hands.

All the while, Ema was completely indifferent to Meekins's protests as she repeatedly paced the room, slowly rocking the sobbing boy in her arms. Her soothing shushes in combination with her rhythmic patting managed to calm the child in her arms. After he had long lost count of the number of lengths Ema had made, Gumshoe watched as she finally plopped herself into the chair across from him, absolutely exhausted, but with a look of accomplishment on her face.

He had to admit, the usually grumpy Detective Skye looked really different when she was attempting to comfort a sobbing infant. Gently rubbing the little boy's back as he sat on her lap, Ema had a kind smile that was very different from the proud grins she sometimes flashed on a good day. Her voice had softened considerably in comparison to her usual commanding tone and even her eyes reflected her genuine concern for the young child on her care.

Once the whimpers had died down to quiet hiccups, Ema finally looked up at Gumshoe with an embarrassed smile, "So, what brings you here, Detective Gumshoe?"

"I gotta ask you the same thing, pal – aren't you supposed to be at a crime scene?"

Ema sighed, "Yes, but long story short, I got roped into… helping out a friend and suddenly I ended up with a baby in my possession. I have no idea what to do with him – I was planning on dropping him off here while I went to investigate, but who knew daycares had age restrictions?"

Detective Gumeshoe gave her a simple lopsided grin. He noticed that the little boy was clutching tightly onto Ema's scarf, even though his large blue eyes were almost completely hidden by his drooping eyelids. At that time, he couldn't help the feeling that those blue eyes and blonde looked very familiar, especially next to Detective Ema Skye. But before he had time to dwell on that thought, Ema's hopeful smile was directly in front of him.

"Detective Gumshoe, do you think you could _please_ look after him – just while I go examine the crime scene?"

"Whoa there!" Gumshoe cried out in surprise, "I'd like to help you out, but there are rules here and that baby isn't near old enough for me to make another exception!"

"He's a really good kid though. See! Once he's asleep, he's so quiet you won't even know he's here!" She said eagerly, indicating to the sleeping boy in arms.

"I don't know, pal. We also aren't supposed to take kids whose parents don't work here." Gumshoe explained as he flipped through the forms, "Aleksander Erlenmeyer? … Oh! I think I've heard of an Erlenmeyer down in the Forensics Lab. Is he-"

Ema's eyes widened as she immediately blurted out, "No! No, Alex's father doesn't work at precinct!"

Now Gumshoe was no Gramarye, but even he could tell that Ema was trying to hide something, "Are you in some sort of trouble, pal?"

But, the younger detective just seemed even more shocked by his concern. "No, it's nothing like that, Detective Gumshoe! There is nothing underhanded involved here! It's just a little complicated…"

Her eyes flickered down to the young boy with a sad expression, before she looked back up at Gumshoe with a renewed determination, "Three hours, sir. I'm going to finish the investigation, give the report to the Chief and come straight back, I promise!"

Gumshoe sighed, "You owe me big time, pal."

Ema's face broke into a broad grin, "Anything, Detective Gumshoe!" Then somewhat spitefully she muttered under her breath, "I'll make sure his _father _pays back in full."

Gumshoe led Ema over to a separate room where the other children were sleeping on futons laid out on the ground. He was thoroughly impressed by how delicately Ema lowered the tiny body onto one of the extra futons in the corner of the room. Reaching into her pocket, Gumshoe watched Ema pull out a small, blue stuffed animal and place it right next to his tiny hands.

"Alex's favourite toy," she murmured, "Though watch out, it squeaks really loudly."

For a moment, she simply stood over the child, watching him sleep. Then somewhat reluctantly, Ema turned away and quietly went to retrieve her purse and case file.

"Thank you so much, Detective Gumshoe. I'll be back in three hours." Reaching the door, she paused, a look of motherly concern etched on her face. "And please call me if you're having trouble with Alex."

Gumshoe gave her his characteristic lop-sided grin as he waved her off. "Don't worry, pal! Just concentrate on your investigation."

* * *

The rest of the afternoon went without a hitch. As promised, Ema returned just shortly after 5pm, looking as gloomy as ever. When asked, she simply stated that her meeting with the Chief did not go very well. It turned out that he was not at all pleased to see her by herself, regardless of her explanation that Prosecutor Gavin was currently wrapped up in other business.

In hopes of cheering her up, Gumshoe tried sharing stories about the many difficulties he faced with the various prosecutors he had worked with over the years; after all, the von Karmas made Prosecutor Gavin look like a saint.

"I've worked with Mr. Gavin too, you know? Well, this was back when he first started, so he was still getting the hang of things then, but he wasn't too bad. I hear most of the detectives say he's a lot nicer than Mr. Edgeworth was."

He was rewarded with a small smile from his younger colleague, "I guess that air guitar is more bearable than getting whipped-"

Ema suddenly trailed off midsentence, gaping at something behind him. Confused, Gumshoe turned and found the just previously mentioned prosecutor enthusiastically waving to them from the other side of the glass doors.

"What on earth…"

Turning his attention back to the young detective in front of him, he noticed that the blood had drained out of Ema's face. She practically jumped out of her seat as she rushed out the door to greet him.

Unable to hear the conversation from where he was sitting, Gumshoe couldn't help but watch in mild amusement.

Ema looked obviously distressed by the prosecutor's unexpected arrival: she was waving her arms around, making wild gestures. In contrast, Prosecutor Gavin watched her with a calm smile and appeared to be waving off whatever concerns she was probably throwing at him. Then, almost tauntingly, he dangled a bag of something in front of Ema's face, before swiftly raising it just out of her reach. Gumshoe held back a chuckle as he watched Ema extended herself as tall as she could, grasping at the bag the taller man was swinging above her head. After a few more short exchanges, Ema rushed back into the childcare centre alone.

"Sorry, Detective Gumshoe, but I have to dash. Thank you very much for watching Alex," Ema hurried past Gumshoe, over to Aleksander who was still fast asleep. With confidence rivalling any experienced mother, she swiftly picked him up and gently propped his head on her shoulder, leaving his sleep undisturbed. Child in arms, she immediately headed straight for the door.

As she walked past Gumshoe again, she gave him a kind smile and somewhat embarrassedly added, "And thank you for trying to cheer me up too." With a final wave good bye, Gumshoe watched as Ema quickly joined Prosecutor Gavin outside, before the two hastily headed towards the lobby.

Still more than a little puzzled by what had just happened, Gumshoe simply shrugged as he rejoined the kids who were now drawing caricatures of Lady Franziska and her fool-smiting whip.

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
[2009.02.20] **Soooo, I really wanted to experiment with the story so this is the "First Interlude". Basically, my original plan was to take a break from Ema's perspective every few chapters to change up the pace, but... oh maaaaaaaaaaan... this chapter was like 90% done for the past week, but I just wasn't happy with it, changing it over and over. And I realized the reason right after I wrote my one-shot (_Through the Looking Glass_): Gumshoe is pretty damn hard to write too! Though I've played through four AA games with him in it, I somehow still can't get into his head. *sigh*  
Anyhow, right now, I'm too frustrated with it to continue working at this chapter, so I've chosen to leave it as is, let you guys take a stab at it/rip it to shreds, and move onto the real chapter 5. I've been loving all your reviews, so please send any comments my way if you have a moment to spare. Hahaha... and I think I'm going to try to be bold and make some suggestions: please comment on what you think of characters, character interaction, plot, the idea about changes in perspective and of course little (but very important) things like grammar, spelling and writing style. ~Ehehe... that's asking a lot, but please feel free to comment on _any _**OR**_ all_ of the above items. Again, be blunt and honest, I can take it! Also, depending on the reception of this chapter, I may just scrap the idea of writing Interludes altogether... (though secretly, I really want to write as Apollo again...)  
And of course, **a billion thanks to those of you guys who've been leaving me absolutely wonderful reviews, especially those who've been leaving reviews for multiple chapters. Every single review really helps me improve the story and hopefully, my writing as well! Til next chapter!**

**Random Sidenote:** I can totally hear Gumshoe endearingly call Ema "Akane-chan", but *sigh* I can't include that in the story, so I've settled for "pal". But if you have any other suggestions, please feel free to send them my way.


	6. 5: Two Fops in One Day!

"Now, can you please hand over the bag of Snackoos?" Ema pleaded, as the pair plus one walked down the long hallway between the Detective Daycare and the police department lobby, "I already promised I wouldn't throw anything at you for the rest of the day!"

"Of course, Fräulein, but it appears that your arms are full at the moment. Would you like me to feed you?" An all-too charming smile accompanied the kind offer.

Ema answered by glaring daggers into his face.

"Shall I take Aleksander then?" The charm was replaced by the familiar discomfort he'd displayed earlier. Regardless, he stopped in front of Ema and reached both his arms towards her.

But the unyielding detective made no move to surrender the baby in her arms. "Did you miraculously figure out how to properly hold a child while you were away?"

"No, but I have to start somewhere, ja?"

"Then you can start by learning how to keep your hands to yourself." Ema smoothly side-stepped him and doubled her pace.

She could hear his hurried footsteps catching up to hers, "You would hold my own son from me?"

"Got that right." Refusing to spare him even a glance, Ema continued to speed down the hallway.

"Fräulein, are you angry with me?"

"Well, I'm definitely not _happy_ with you at the moment."

Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled back. When she opened her mouth to protest, a handful of Snackoos were stuffed into it and Klavier was once again standing in front of her.

"Let me take Aleksander."

Trying her best to simultaneously chew and swallow the contents of her mouth, Ema could barely manage a muffled retort. Nevertheless, she tightened her arms protectively, turning the dormant baby away from Klavier's reach.

"Ema, I can clearly see that you are upset and fatigued and I have a good guess as to why. I have bothered you a great deal today and for that, I apologize. Now, please let me take Aleksander off your hands."

Ema fiercely shook her head, still munching away at the mouthful of Snackoos.

"You're being unreasonable, Ema. I am trying-"

A chorus of female giggles burst out in the lobby behind them. "Prosecutor Gavin, is that you?"

Ema watched as Klavier's characteristic charming smile automatically lit up his face as he turned to greet his _fans._

"Ah, hello, fräulein officers. Lovely to see you all!"

"We've missed you here, Mr. Gavin!"

"Where have you been all week?"

"Don't exhaust yourself now, Prosecutor Gavin."

"Is work keeping you busy, sir?"

The myriad of female voices were now squealing and gushing excitedly at the attractive young prosecutor, who simply could not refuse their attention.

Seeing this as an opening, Ema immediately took the opportunity to slide past Klavier and out the lobby doors.

_**This**_ _is exactly why I'm not giving you your son, glimmerous fop._

A breath of fresh air hit Ema as she walked down the steps of the precinct and to the bench she had sat at earlier that day. Flopping back into the same position, she finally swallowed the last of her forcibly fed snack. At that point, Aleksander was beginning to wake from his restful nap and was fidgeting in her arms.

"Welcome back, Alex." Ema greeted in the happiest voice she could muster, "Did you have a good sleep?"

She was surprised to be answered with enthusiastic arm waving and a plethora of incomprehensible blabbering from the young child. Ema couldn't help but smile at his talkative mood – a refreshing change from his earlier sobbing. Not having a clue as to what the baby was saying, Ema merely watched him with an amused grin.

"Kidnapping is a serious criminal offence, Fräulein."

A lone fop stood over her with his hands in his pockets and a friendly smile on his face.

"It'd take a pretty stupid criminal to try to kidnap a child from inside the police HQ." She answered flatly, immediately falling out of her short-lived good mood.

A bag of open Snackoos were tossed beside her, as Klavier occupied the seat on the other side. Refusing to acknowledge him or his tempting snacks, Ema fixed her stare on Aleksander while keeping both arms circled protectively around the child.

"How did the investigation go?" Klavier asked offhandedly.

"Horrible," came Ema's dejected response, "How did the moving go?"

"Likewise."

They shared a rare moment.

"I never imagined us to be the in same sinking boat, fop."

She heard Klavier's light hearted chuckle. "I don't believe I'm _sinking_, Fräulein."

"So you have a plan then?"

"Not quite, but-"

"Then you're sinking."

Ema's tone of bleak finality earned another chuckle from Klavier. She turned to him with a look of mild concern. "How can you be so carefree right now? You have just suddenly gained a _son._ This is a pretty big deal, Klavier."

In response, he posed a question of his own, "Do you know why I asked you to be my witness, Fräulein?"

Ema blinked; the question had never crossed her mind. "Because you like making my life difficult?"

He absently twirled his hair, staring up into the sky, "I knew that you'd be the only person in the world who would tell me exactly – as you like to say – _how screwed I am_."

An expression of complete confusion overtook Ema's face, as Klavier calmly continued.

"You may not know this, but I am treated quite well by the people around me." (Ema scoffed at this comment – _Of course, I know!_) "They always make sure to be courteous and polite towards me. Even when I, myself, have made a mistake, they still keep a positive attitude, consoling rather than reprimanding. But not you, Ema; you never treated me this way.

"From the moment we met, you were absolutely unyielding and determined to keep me in line. Every time I was unprofessional, negligent, or even slightly distracted, you would outright tell me so and then throw those edible rocks at me. You even went as far as to insult my fans _and _threaten my hog. You always knew how to put me in my place." Klavier's amiable smile never left his face.

Though she was thoroughly surprised by Klavier's unexpected self-reflection, Ema still couldn't grasp the purpose of his words, "So what do you expect me to do now? Do you want me to tell you that you're an irresponsible glimmerous fop who has no regard for anyone other than yourself? That you're a reckless playboy who had this coming? That you're neglectful of your work as prosecutor and your taste in music is horrible? That you're unprofessional towards all the police officers, especially the females and that your fans drive me _insane_? That I've had just about the worst day of my detective career juggling _your _son and _your _case and taking the blame for _your _absence at the debriefing today? That… that… that you're a huge glimmerous fop?!"

In her passionate outburst, Ema didn't even realize she had risen away from the bench and was now practically speaking straight into Klavier's face; all the while Aleksander looked up at her curiously.

"… I was not expecting something _quite_ that harsh, but yes, that was the idea." Klavier looked completely taken aback as he discreetly tried to increase the distance between himself and Ema.

Luckily, Ema was still too busy catching her breath from her lengthy string of insults to notice. "Good, 'cause I can keep dishing _that _out all day."

"No, no. I think that's about all I can handle in one sitting, thank you."

Leaning back into her seat, she took a deep breath. "That actually took a lot off my chest," She confessed with a small smile to herself.

"I'm glad. It's the least I can do for all the trouble I have caused you today." Then after a short pause, "Do you really think I am a "reckless playboy"?"

A pang of guilt came along with his words – _So, I might have gotten a _little_ carried away there._

"Uh… well, I'm sure… you tried to be careful… sleeping around… and not having… more babies…"

_Way to go, Ema! You really know how to bust out those compliments!_

She heard Klavier softly chuckle beside her. "Well, I appreciate your brutal honesty."

Ema sighed heavily. "Look, Klavier. I'm not- **Alex, don't put that in your mouth**!"

All coherent thought fled her mind as Ema instinctively snatched the Snackoo out of the baby's tiny fingers and tossed it as far as she could.

Mimicking her actions, Aleksander magically acquired another one and flung it away from them as well.

Ema moaned softly, watching another piece of her favourite food land on the ground. "Nooooo, Alex. No more Snackoos for you."

Completely ignoring her words, the excited little child tried to reach for more only to have them lifted out of his reach. Like most babies who don't get what they want, Aleksander began to whine.

"No, Alex." Ema stated firmly, holding the bag above his head. This only made him cry out louder.

"Aleksander!" Klavier's distinctly male voice called out to the baby sharply, followed by a few words of German.

Both baby and detective turned their heads towards the source of the sound, the older of the two stunned by Klavier's change in demeanour. Though his voice had effectively stopped Aleksander's whimpers, the small hands were still desperately grasping at the bag of Snackoos.

"Kristoph used that tone with me quite often." Klavier sheepishly admitted before he swiftly transferred the small child away from the source of problem and onto his own lap. The two locked identical blue eyes as another string of German was spoken to Aleksander in the same stern tone as before. To Ema's surprise, Aleksander babbled something right back at his father; but, even as someone who does not understand a word of German, she could scientifically determine that the young child was not responding in that same language.

Tightening his embrace around Aleksander, Klavier stood up with his son securely in his arms. "I believe Aleksander is trying to tell us he's hungry. Shall we continue our discussion after dinner?"

Ema followed suit, unable to help herself from adjusting Klavier's slightly awkward grapple on the little baby.

"And where were you thinking of going to first flaunt your new son?" Sarcasm practically oozed from her voice as she repositioned his arm so that Aleksander was comfortably sitting on it.

"The grocery store around the corner must have something that babies can eat, ja?"

"Grocery?" Ema stared at him surprised.

Klavier had already began walking towards the sidewalk, when he stopped and looked back at the young woman who was still standing next to the bench, "Yes? Do you have another idea, Fräulein?"

"No, no. I just can't imagine you doing something as mundane as grocery shopping…"

A series of mental images flashed through Ema's mind: the famous rock star pushing a shopping cart down the produce aisle, looking at the expiry dates on the bread, picking out raw meat with a look of disgust, shouting German profanities at the self-serve checkout machines…

_Yeah… I just can't imagine…_

"Well, I need to eat too, ja?"

"Yeah, but I always thought you hired people to do everything for you: cooking, cleaning, investigating…"

The presumably pampered celebrity laughed, "I am perfectly capable of taking care of my own affairs. Though a baby, not so much – which is why I am fortunate to have you, Fräulein."

At this point, they had reached the edge of the sidewalk. Ema stopped, ready to put her foot down, "Well, I guess this is where your good fortune ends then. I'll contact you tomorrow when the autopsy report is-"

"Are you not coming with us?"

He shifted Aleksander in his arms before turning them both towards Ema with an inviting smile.

_Stay strong, Ema! "No" means "_no"_!_

"_I_ am going to go home and enjoy what's left of my day. I'm sure you can handle a quick trip down the street… with… your… miniature replica..."

Ema's sentence trailed off into a heavy sigh. _... unless you're talking to a glimmerous fop, in which case "no" often means "yes" and in every other case can mean _anything_ other than its intended meaning, "**NO**"._

As uneasy as she was to see Klavier precariously holding Aleksander in his arms, a much bigger problem had come to present itself: their resemblance was so uncanny that any stranger off the road would know they were related, if not guessing the father-son relation right away.

She quickly pulled them back into the quiet alcove next to the police department and conveyed her keen scientific observation to Klavier.

"Truly?" The young man inspected the little boy in his arms carefully, "What is it specifically that bears such a striking resemblance to me?"

Ema resisted the urge to face palm.

"_Everything_, Klavier." Much to her amusement, she found that Klavier's subsequent look of surprise made the resemblance even stronger. "We'll definitely need a disguise if you're going to avoid awkward questions."

Klavier frowned at her proposal, "Impossible. I have tried countless times, but despite my most creative efforts, my fans always recognize me."

_Why am I not surprised?_

"I meant for Alex!" An idea Klavier enthusiastically approved of. Rummaging through her bag, Ema began to brainstorm.

* * *

Ridiculous was not near strong enough a word to describe Aleksander's disguise.

Using Ema's scarf, they had tied together a bandana of sorts around his head to hide his Gavin-coloured blonde hair and to top it off, Ema's pink sunglasses were delicately balanced on his tiny nose covering his Gavin-coloured eyes.

With her work done, the young detective attempted to make an inconspicuous exit only to be offered the most extravagant bribes her wealthy superior could come up with. After rejecting his heart and soul, Ema found herself reluctantly accompanying the duo on the strict condition that Klavier keep his _body _to himself. She already had enough rumours to extinguish _without _the suggestive flirt feeding the flames.

With Aleksander's clever disguise, they managed to make it to the grocery store without any on-lookers giving them a second look. However, the moment they walked through the automatic sliding doors, they were brightly greeted by a Gavinner's fan-club executive member – who was a store clerk by day. _Unfortunately_, Ema _accidentally_ knocked over a large display of toilet paper with an _accidental _swing of her shopping basket, distracting the clerk before she got a closer look at the "adorable little bundle" in her idol's arms.

Hurrying them into the empty baby supplies aisle, Ema began her methodical analysis of the rows upon rows of baby products.

"That was a smooth move, Fräulein." Klavier complimented, eyes on the scientific investigator rather than the merchandise.

"Why, thank you, fop. I've been getting pretty good at keeping your ravenous fan girls at bay," the investigator absently replied as she was systematically studying the mosaic of baby food bottles before them.

"Yes, I noticed you have been upgrading your techniques lately."

"It's the only way I can ever get anything done with you. It's hard to get on a roll when you have all those women throwing themselves at you," at which point Ema threw a look of exasperation at Klavier, "especially the fanatical ones."

A broad grin spread across his face. "Are you perhaps referring to the unclothed fräulein who you threw a body bag at last week?"

"What? Did you expect me to offer her my lab coat instead? Honestly, she was lucky I didn't throw sexual harassment charges at her too."

"She meant no harm, Fräulein."

Ema stared down the male specimen before her. "My apologies then, _Prosecutor Gavin_. I figured you had enough _unclothed fräuleins_ to deal with on your own time."

Aggravated by his massive ego, she turned away from him and focussed on the oatmeal box she had in hand.

His voice softened ever so slightly. "I think you give me too much credit."

"And what have I ever given you credit for?" came the nonchalant reply. But, even from the corner of her eye, she could see his smug smirk.

"You know, having two full time jobs doesn't give me a lot of time to _sleep around_, ja?"

Ema could feel the blood rush to her face, "I wasn't… You don't need to prove anything to me."

"But, I wouldn't want my favourite fräulein detective to have misconceptions stuck in her head."

"Well, thank you for clarifying then." She was eager to get off this topic.

"Actually, with the number of cases we've had lately, the last time I remember having-"

Ema's hand flew over his mouth before he could finish his sentence. "_Really, _Klavier. You have _nothing _to prove." Then she hesitantly retracted it as Klavier's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What I was _going_ to say was that the last time I remember having _free time_ was just before the Jurist's System was established. Really, Fräulein, what were _you_ thinking?" Unfortunately for Ema, the smirk on his face indicated that he knew exactly what was going through her _unclean _mind.

Ema gave herself a mental kick in the shin as she gritted out, "Nothing." Then somewhat bitterly, she added, "I'm sorry to hear that you haven't had a lot of _free time _lately," tossing a box of baby oatmeal into the basket with a little more force than necessary.

* * *

"Ah, Fräulein, allow me."

Ema had just finished unloading their basket at checkout counter and when Klavier interrupted her search through her purse, "Oh, sure. Give me your wallet."

The wealthy rock star-prosecutor turned around so that his back was facing Ema. "Left side."

Ema tensed when she noticed what he was referring to. "I am _not _reaching into your back pocket."

"But, my hands are-"

"I'll do it for you!" the cashier eagerly piped up, reaching her hand towards Klavier's backside.

"Could you kindly _double bag_ everything for me, please?" Though forcing a pleasant tone, Ema gave the young cashier the same look she used to stare down detainees.

The hand was swiftly redrawn and immediately busied itself with plastic bags.

"Ema…" Klavier watched the amusing scene unfold over his shoulder.

"I can cover this." Ema muttered as she resumed fumbling around for her wallet.

"Nonsense, I cannot allow-"

"_It's fine_!" Ema triumphantly pulled out her credit card, "Consider it a welcome gift for Alex."

* * *

Double-bagged baby essentials in hand, Ema was already heading out the automatic doors when Klavier realized another problem.

"Ah! I can't take my hog home, ja?"

"Your _what_?" It had been a long day for the detective, making it all the harder for her to understand the _unique_ phrases used by the prosecutor, "Oh… right. I'll call a cab for you then."

Turning back, Ema began to search for her phone.

"No need. I have a specific company which I always rely upon." Then flashing his most enticing smile, "Could you get my phone please, Fräulein?"

Ema tensed again in anticipation. "Where is it?"

He stuck out his right hip. "Right here."

Making a face as if she were forced to do something incredibly unpleasant, Ema warned him, "Don't do anything _funny_!" before sticking her hand into Klavier Gavin's pocket and pulling out a snazzy black cell phone in one swift motion.

"Now start putting important things in safer places than your _pockets, _you glimmerous fop!!!"

* * *

Ema dropped the bags of basic necessities into the trunk before walking around the cab to _finally_ send off the Gavins for the day.

With son in arms, Klavier stood by the back door looking somewhat disappointed, "Is there nothing I can do to persuade you to come home with us, Fräulein?"

"_Nothing._"

"But what if Alek-"

"You'll be _fine_, Klavier." She gave the tired baby a soft pat on the head, "Look, he's practically asleep already. Why don't you use that voice of yours to do something useful for a change? Try singing him one of your ballads when you get back."

Reaching up, she pat Klavier fondly on the top of his head as well. She received a warm smile in return.

"Thank you, Ema. I'm glad I can always count on you."

A wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over her. "Please don't. I'm not sure how much more of your _trust_ I can handle."

"I'm always happy to return the favour, ja?"

"Well, in that case," Ema gave him a gentle push into the car, "go home, Klavier. Put your son to bed and have a good sleep tonight. Then take the day off of work tomorrow and sort your life out, _ja_?"

"Ah, I can't possibly do that to my lovely Fräulein Detective-"

"No, really – _stay home tomorrow._ I can take care of the case – that's fine – but your son is another matter altogether. I may have covered your glimmerous ass today, but don't expect me to play _Auntie Ema_ again tomorrow while you're off being _Prosecutor Gavin_ as usual."

"But you excelled in your role!"

"_Klavier!_"

Laughing, the rock star-prosecutor finally conceded to sliding into the backseat of the cab, "I jest, I jest! I promise I will do as you suggest and feign illness tomorrow. _However_, I still expect a full case report from you after the work day is done, Fräulein Detective."

"Understood. _**Good night, sir!**_" The detective not so subtly hinted as she slammed the car door shut. Much to her dismay, the windows were promptly rolled down.

"Sweet dreams, Ema! Say "bye bye" to Ema, Aleksander."

Ema bent over so she was just looking into the open car window. "Bye bye, Alex."

A now undisguised Aleksander reached out with his small hand as he attempted to call out to her, "Ma!"

Ema froze in horror.

"Good boy, Aleksander. Bye bye, Ema!"

She watched as they both waved her off from inside the taxi, the little boy still calling out the last syllable of her name. Slowly, the feeling of dread spread throughout her body.

_What have I gotten myself into…_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**  
**[2009.02.27]** Read and review, please! Points to consider: Is this chapter too broken up? Do the gaps break the flow _OR_ does it help move the story along faster _OR _does it do neither? Klavier-Ema interaction okay? Too dialogue heavy? Can you imagine the scenes in your mind's eye? Believable - somewhat?  
My sincerest thanks to those of you guys who've read and reviewed the past few chapters already - it really helps me gauge where I am. Have a great weekend!


	7. 6: TGIF!

Ema awoke to the loud alarm of her cell phone, ringing and vibrating for all it was worth. With a grunt, the lethargic young detective snatched the device off her night table and flipped it open, finger instinctively reaching for the [Cancel] button.

"**Ema? Ema?!**"

_That's new._ Ema blinked at her phone in confusion; her alarm was calling out to her.

"**Hello? EMA, ARE YOU THERE?!**"

_In a very familiar voice too…_ "Klavier?"

"**Ah! Thank god! Fräulein, you have to help me!**"

"What the… _**Klavier**_?!" Ema squinted at the display: 3:17am. Reluctantly, she put the phone up to her ear and grumbled into the receiver, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"**Make it stop, Fräulein**!"

"What?!"

She tried to make out what her crazy colleague was saying, but his words were drowned out by the loud background noise.

"I can't hear you, fop! Turn off that loud racket! Honestly, who blasts their stereo in the middle of-"

"**I CAAAAAAN'T!!!**"

"What do you mean you- ohmygawdfopareyouataclub?!"

"**WHAT?! FRÄULEIN, SPEAK UP, I CAN'T-**"

"Klavier, where the _hell _is your son right now?!"

"**WHERE… wha-?"**

"Alex! **WHERE IS ALEKSANDER!**" At this point, Ema was sitting up on her bed, full out screaming back into her receiver.

"**RIGHT HERE!!! He's **_**right here**_** bawling into my ears, Fräulein!**"

Ema froze. The sudden pause allowed the noise in the background to overtake the conversation and the familiar heart wrenching wails of another Gavin saturated her hearing. Releasing a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding, Ema collapsed back onto her bed.

"**HELLO?! Ema?! EMMMA!!!"**

"Stop yelling!" she snapped at the same time her head hit the pillow, "I'm sure half the city can hear you."

Her order was completely ignored as the yelling continued, "**He's been crying ever since he woke up. That was over two hours ago. Two hours, Fräulein! He just won't stop. Please come and help! I have tried everything!**"

"How about Google? Usually solves all my problems."

"**Ema!**"

"What on earth do you expect me to do from my bed at 3am in the morning?"

"**Emmmmmmmmmmmmmmma!**"

She held the phone away from her ear that time. She had to hand it to the musician, he had tremendous vocals.

"Keep your voice down. You're going to wake my neighbours."

There was a pause on the other end this time.

"Oh? Do they often complain of men screaming your name at this hour?" Though he lowered his volume, his voice dropped a few octaves as well. Even so, Ema found she still preferred his less than pleasured cries of her name over his current husky tone. Upon second thought, she realized that she'd much prefer silence to either.

"I'm going back to sleep. Good night, Klavier." There was no hesitation. She hoped her apathy came across loud and clear.

Husky was quickly replaced by desperation. "**Please, Ema! Think of **_**my **_**neighbours!**"

She scoffed, "Do you mean the ones on the other side of your soundproofed walls or the ones living on your _penthouse _roof?"

"How did you–?"

"You _do_ have this awful habit of bragging."

"Ah, very well. Considering the neighbours on the other side of _your_ non-soundproofed walls, I have no qualms with screaming your name **all night long**." He pointedly emphasized the last three words.

Ema just as pointedly emphasized her indifference, "And _I_ have no qualms with hanging up on my superior during off-duty hours. Good night, sir."

Her finger was already on the [End call] button when the sound of Aleksander's voice poured through the receiver. The ear-splitting shrieks earlier had now been reduced to exhausted sobs, still as heart breaking as ever; not to mention also extremely effective at destroying a young woman's iron resolve.

"Please, Ema? For Aleksander."

"That was a cheap move, fop."

"He desperately needs the warm embrace that only you can provide."

"Klavier," she tried to reason, "It is currently some ungodly hour of the night and I start work in five hours. You can't possibly expect me to–"

"**Emmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmma!**" He had reverted back to harmonizing with his son.

"**Fine! **I'm coming, so stop your whining."

"Would you prefer me to serenade you?"

Ema grit her teeth, feeling her temples throb ominously. "I would _prefer_ you to give me your address."

"Are you coming by car?"

"No, I'm thinking I'll bike across the city at 3 in the morn– _Of course, I'm coming by car!_ Now can you please tell me where you live so I can give the taxi driver a destination?"

"In that case, I'll send a car right away."

"Send _where_?"

"To your apartment complex, of course."

"My wha– How do you know where I live?"

She was answered with a distant squeal from Alex somewhere in the background.

"**Klavier!**"

"Mind the neighbours now."

"Klavier," she growled, "You dirty bast–"

"We can discuss the finer details of privacy policies _after_ you arrive, ja?"

She exhaled as much of her anger as she could in a single breath. "I'll go get ready."

"Excellent. Hurry, Fräulein!"

"How much time do I have? …Hello? …Klavier?" Greeted by silence, Ema pulled the phone from her ear; 'Call Ended' flashed at her mockingly.

After releasing a long frustrated scream into her pillow, Ema immediately rolled off her bed and began scrounging through the piles of clothes on her floor, searching for something clean to wear. Bypassing the more complicated steps in personal hygiene, she brushed her teeth, splashed water on her face and tugged a comb through her hair before dashing into her living room.

Ema found her fully packed purse conveniently sitting on the floor, untouched from where she had thoughtlessly dropped it when she staggered into her home earlier that evening. Carefully manoeuvring around the delicately balanced dishes on the coffee table, she grabbed her lab coat off her couch, fumbled through the pockets before tossing it back and dashed out the door, cell phone in one hand, keys in the other.

By the time she had reached the front foyer of her modest little apartment building, a familiar black taxicab was parked outside the doors.

"Fräulein Skye?" The driver monotonously inquired as Ema slid into the back seat.

"Yes?"

"Welcome."

Before she even had time to buckle her seatbelt, the car lurched forward, practically flying onto the street.

Ema cried out in a mild panic, "Where are you going?!"

"Relax, Fräulein Skye. Mr. Gavin is a regular customer of ours. Though this is the first he has asked us to pick up a lady so late at night…" Though his tone remained neutral, Ema didn't miss the subtle curl at the corner of his lips in the rear-view mirror.

Unable to bring herself to care enough to formulate a defence that wouldn't sound like an awkward denial, Ema chose to sit in silence. She leaned back into the comfortable leather seats, allowing her gaze to drift out the window. The busy streets had a different aura now that they were empty and the familiar stores that she passed by everyday somehow looked foreign as the car raced past them in the darkness. Though she had to admit Rodeo was still beautiful thanks to its unique streetlights.

Ema perked up immediately. They had now passed through Rodeo Drive and were driving straight into…

_Beverly Hills?!_

She didn't even realize she had spoken aloud until the driver answered, "That is correct. Mr. Gavin's household is just a little further, Fräulein Skye."

Ema gaped as they passed mansion after expensive mansion. It was no surprise that Klavier Gavin lived in luxury, but for some inexplicable reason, she had never imagined _Beverly Hills _luxury. In hindsight, this neighbourhood, known for its wealthy and often famous inhabitants suited the rock-god perfectly. But it still didn't make her any less incredulous of the fact that her glimmerous fop of a prosecutor _lived in Beverly Hills_.

Just when she thought the residences couldn't get any more extravagant, the cab finally slowed to a smooth stop in front of a low-rise condo.

"How much?" was her best attempt at a coherent sentence.

The driver merely waved her off. "Mr. Gavin has already taken care of it. Have an _enjoyable_ night, Fräulein Skye."

This time she caught his wink. Muttering a quiet, though unappreciative "thanks", Ema grabbed her purse and quickly scrambled out of the car.

As if the elegant gold accents and red carpet weren't already intimidating enough, the casually dressed young woman found herself approaching the most prim and proper concierge she had ever met at 3:56am in the morning.

He greeted her with a crisp voice, "Fräulein Skye?"

"That's me…" Ema answered, wishing she wasn't at that moment.

One of the two elevators behind the concierge automatically opened for her. Assuming that was her cue, Ema hesitantly stepped through the open doors.

"Penthouse floor, to the right, through the glass doors, Fräulein Skye," he politely informed her as the doors slid to a close.

Ema pushed the [PH] button and within seconds, she was greeted with an empty hallway.

As instructed, she walked towards the right corridor, through a set of glass doors, and found herself stepping onto an immaculate marble foyer. To her right, the entire wall was covered in Gavinners memorabilia: old concert posters, album covers, past magazine spreads, various photos. A small smile tugged at her lips as she passed a photo of one short-haired seventeen year old rock star proudly holding his debut single in one hand and a platinum award in the other. The familiar faces of his band members/fellow law enforcement officers were also scattered throughout the photos; Daryan Crescend's face was especially prominent in the photos, almost always occupying the space directly next to Klavier. She also couldn't help but notice the vast number of women present in the various photos – though noted that none of the women showed up more than once on his wall.

Turning around, she came face to face with her reflection in the massive mirror that spanned the entirety of the opposite wall. _Gotta look nice before you present yourself to Klavier Gavin,_ Ema mused as she examined her baggy sweatpants and oversized souvenir t-shirt. In her defence, she was here to put a baby to sleep, not seduce his father. Nevertheless, she tried to tame her messy bed hair before she turned and rang the doorbell. The familiar Gavinners symbol decorated the double doors; the sign next to them read "Klavier Gavin" in polished gold lettering.

Almost immediately, the door in front of her flung open with a bang, releasing the contents of Pandora's box – or more appropriately Klavier's chaotic nightlife. Aleksander's disparaging cries immediately filled the entire atrium; the echoes bounced off the walls, amplifying the sound tenfold. At that moment, Ema could easily appreciate the benefits of having a soundproof home. And judging by the look on Klavier's face, he considered them a necessity.

The obviously frazzled young father greeted her wearily, "Please come in, Fräulein. I assure you the noise isn't quite as deafening inside."

Graciously accepting his offer, she quickly entered the apartment. Stepping past him, she observed that he was still wearing his usual work attire, though he had forgone his purple suit jacket, opting to roll up the sleeves of his black shirt.

"I cannot thank you enough for coming." With both his arms occupied by a disgruntled baby, Klavier kicked the door closed behind them and walked towards what Ema assumed to be the kitchen area, "May I at least offer you something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Ema answered as she followed him; her eyes drifted throughout his very spacious open-concept apartment.

The kitchen was absolutely spotless and the various gadgets (toaster, blender, pressure-cooker, _bread-maker?!_) sitting on the counter all looked untouched – save for the espresso maker at the end, which appeared to have been recently abandoned in mid-use.

"Are you sure? It would be no trouble at all." Even as he said this, Ema watched as he struggled to keep Aleksander from squirming out of his grasp. She was especially pleased to notice that Klavier had now figured out how to securely hold onto his son.

"I'm fine, Klavier." She stated again, reaching her arms out towards him to relieve the young father of his sobbing bundle. The moment Aleksander settled into Ema's arms, his cries softened instantaneously. In hopes of lulling Alex back to sleep, Ema began rocking him gently while rhythmically patting his back.

"I think he prefers a woman's embrace," Klavier suggested somewhat sheepishly.

"Well, he certainly is _your _son then." The flirtatious fop beamed at her comment. _What _he was proud of was beyond her.

Continuing her efforts, Ema slowly started to move around the child's new home, pacing the length of the room, all the while absently examined her surroundings.

The kitchen and living room were separated by the line where marble tiles met hardwood flooring. All the living room furniture was of a simple modern design and barely looked worn in: black leather couch, glass coffee table, massive flat screen television with towering speakers on either side. The observant detective also noticed that there wasn't a single photo frame visible. Surrounding the living room were numerous closed doors; she noticed a light pouring out from the one furthest from her. Upon closer inspection, she could see the foot of a large bed.

"That's the master bedroom." Klavier told her from the recliner where he sat watching Ema pace, "Aleksander will be sleeping on my bed until I have made permanent arrangements."

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"I have a very comfortable futon in the den. I often sleep there when I'm in the midst of work."

"How convenient."

She turned ninety degrees, walking through the living room towards the front foyer. She couldn't help but notice how abnormally neat Klavier's entire house was; she suspected it was partly because he had very few personal possessions lying around in the open. Everything in the living room was either behind glass doors and placed in its appropriate stand. Well, everything except for a pile of baby items strewn in disarray across the large empty space between the coffee table and T.V – Ema found it almost a welcome contrast to the cold impersonal atmosphere the rest of house was giving off.

"I see you've already opened the armoury," she muttered quietly.

"Nothing in there has even remotely helped." Klavier grumbled at the mess of various toys, clothing and supplies that Ema was carefully treading around. And despite her best efforts, Ema felt as if she wasn't helping either; Aleksander was no sleepier than when she first arrived. Her slow pacing and soothing back rubs were doing nothing to calm the restless child who continued to shift uncomfortably against her arms. It was somewhat disconcerting since the same technique had worked so effectively yesterday at the Detective Daycare.

"Did you feed him?"

"Right when we got home."

"Then?"

"He fell asleep on my bed."

"Did you give him a proper blanket and pillow?"

"Of course!" He motioned towards the open suitcase with clothes spilling out, "I gave him his blanket and pillow that he always uses."

"Did you change him?"

"Into what?"

Ema broke her rhythm and turned to gape at him incredulously. Klavier simply stared right back, a rare oblivious expression plastered on his face.

"I think I may have discovered your problem." Ema said through her gritted teeth, reminding herself that it was the late hour – _not_ stupidity – that was the cause of Klavier's confusion.

He quickly straightened up from his chair, "What is it?!" There was no attempt made to conceal the excitement in his voice.

"Do you have any diapers?"

She watched as he fumbled through the pile.

"Are these _diapers_?" The word sounded foreign coming from his lips. Kneeling on the floor, he held up a few white rectangular pads. Ema recognized them from her babysitting training many years back.

"Is there a box? Maybe some instructions to go with them?"

Klavier scrounged through the pile again, overturning the suitcase in the process. "Nein."

Unfortunately, after many years, there were _a few_ parts of her training that were a little fuzzy – she'd just have to improvise.

* * *

They set a fidgety Aleksander down onto Klavier's bed, a towel spread underneath him. Taking a deep breath, Ema reached to undo the adhesive tabs.

"Have you done this before?" Klavier's voice was almost as shaky as her hands.

"Only on a plastic dummy ten years ago."

"Do you know what you're doing?"

"I can vaguely remember." Her honesty did nothing to reassure the inexperienced father. Though she was touched by his obvious concern for his son, between Klavier's nervous protests and Aleksander squirming away from her grasp, changing a diaper was a lot more difficult than Ema remembered.

"Are you certain you can pull–"

"This isn't open heart surgery," she snapped, "Now shut up and help me keep him steady."

After the first few tries resulted in complex tangle of limbs, she and Klavier managed to devise a system of how their arms crossed and whose hands went where. Then throwing Aleksander into the picture, Ema felt like they were three porcelain China dolls having a wrestling match – it was a bizarre experience to say the least.

When the scuffle finally died down, as the victor, Ema stood proudly staring at the open diaper; it was just as she suspected. "Looks like you have a Mr. Poopy, kiddo."

She turned beside her to find Klavier looking a little green and discreetly holding a hand over his nose. "Are there any baby wipes in your supply stash?"

He all too eagerly dashed out of the room, returning a moment later with a triumphant grin on his face, "This one has its own package!"

Ema almost felt guilty putting a damper on his accomplishment, "Good job, but I think butt wipes are pretty self-explanatory."

She swiftly swapped the dirty diaper for the travel-size package of wipes in Klavier's grasp. A look of horror flickered across his face before he fled again. As she was trying figure out the proper procedure of putting on a clean diaper, she could hear miscellaneous rustling out in the living room, soon followed by the loud slam of a sliding balcony door; she figured not asking was probably the safer – and definitely the smarter option. By the time Klavier arrived at her side, breathless and flustered, Ema was already onto the last step of diaper changing process.

Ensuring the sticky tabs were tightly adhered to where the arrows indicated, Ema stood Aleksander up on his feet to give the diaper the final check. Taking into account the content smile on his face and how the diaper didn't fall down, the endeavour was a complete success.

"Doesn't that feel better, Alex?" She was answered with a wide yawn.

With a relieved smile, Ema picked up the young child and resumed pacing the length of the large bedroom. Within minutes, she heard Klavier quietly call out to her from where he sat on the floor, "He's asleep."

Working together, they gingerly lowered him onto the sleeping area they made for him on Klavier's king size bed. Surrounded by soft pillows and fluffy towels, Aleksander was fast asleep. Ema watched as Klavier laid the blanket over his son before they both silently snuck out of the bedroom.

* * *

"Thank goodness." Klavier sighed, practically collapsed into his recliner.

In turn, Ema flopped onto his leather couch. "I can't believe you called me halfway across the city in the middle of the night to _change a diaper_."

He answered her with a chuckle that vaguely sounded like, "glad I did."

Ignoring his remark, Ema allowed her head to fall onto the headrest, feeling exhaustion take its toll. Turning onto her side, she found herself staring at Klavier's laptop which sat on the glass coffee table in front of her. To her mild amusement, it appeared that he had actually taken her advice and had done a Google search; his browser was opened to a section about helping your 11 month old sleep.

_11 months…_

She proceeded to do the math in her head. "11 months ago, you were here last March, working at the prosecutor's office as always."

Across the room, the person in question made some semblance of a nod, "Ja, what of it?"

"9 months before then, it was June. The Kitaki case was in June."

A curious look crossed the prosecutor's face, "That's correct."

"You were also on tour in Germany that month – right up to days before the noodle stand murder at People Park."

A sad smile appeared, as Klavier realized the direction she was taking their conversation, "You have a good memory, Fräulein."

The question tumbled out before she even realized what she had asked, "Was it after a concert, during the after-party?"

Ema wasn't offended, or even surprised when there was no response. Though they mutually agreed that the two of them were 'friends', there were still a few conversation topics neither of them ever brought up: romantic relationships happened to be one of them. On her part, Ema simply had none. Between her career as a police detective, aspiration to be a forensic investigator, and spending every free minute as Prosecutor Klavier Gavin's personal bitc– _**friend**__,_ Ema quickly corrected herself – the busy young woman simply had no time to indulge in romance. Well, that was her story and _damn it_, she was sticking with it.

As for her lecherous male colleague, she'd always assumed that Klavier had so many women flitting in and out of life that his relationships weren't even worth mentioning.

When she walked into his late night tryst with the Chief Prosecutor's legal aide, she swiftly left his office as casually as she entered. The next morning, Klavier politely apologized for neglecting to lock the door and Ema equally as politely apologized for her lack of discretion when entering his office. That was the last they spoke of the incident – her confidentiality of the matter was already a given.

Even that one time he phoned her from the stairwell between the eleventh and twelfth floor of the Prosecutor's Office after _someone _had taken off with his pants, the only question she asked him was, "Where am I supposed to get you another pair?" Then when she arrived to find him lacking in underpants as well, the courteous professional she was, Ema simply tossed him the requested garment without a word. Truth be told, she had no desire to hear the circumstances leading up to his abandonment.

Similarly, when she stumbled into the rock-star prosecutor's office at 8am one morning wearing a short strapless one-piece dress under a wrinkled lab coat, Klavier simply handed the detective a bottle of fruit juice and informed her that their meeting was postponed to later that afternoon – _much later_. Seven hours and six litres of water later, Ema returned to his office in her usual attire and a spotless lab coat. Their discussion never strayed off the case at hand.

It had become an unspoken rule that each turned a blind eye to the other's romantic relations – a rule that Ema wasn't too keen on breaking at 4:47am in Klavier Gavin's apartment. She was already beginning to drift off when the other occupant of the room abruptly blurted out, "I think it was her voice that drew me in."

Though he spoke quietly, in contrast to the preceding silence, his sudden outburst jolted Ema back into wakefulness. The information itself was no groundbreaking revelation to the perceptive detective; she had long since noticed the trend in women Klavier was preferential towards. His current confession only further solidified her hypothesis: Klavier Gavin was a sucker for females with melodic voices. How that was professionally relevant, Ema had yet to determine.

He continued his narration, though his voice lacked the usual confident flair he displayed in court.

"I first met her during rehearsals. She was a V.I.P. of some sort, so she had a backstage pass. We merely chatted. I learned that she was a huge fan – nothing out of the ordinary.

"We were in Germany for over a week: intensive rehearsals followed by three concerts night after night. The first concert was a huge success so we celebrated – just the band and staff. As always, I was the last member leaving the concert hall. On my way out, I bumped into her, also leaving alone. She was singing one of our ballads."

His words faded into a quiet humming. Against popular belief, Ema did know of a select few Gavinners songs – radio exposed her to many unpleasant things. She immediately recognized the familiar melody. It was one of Klavier's softer compositions.

"The song sounded so different from her lips. She had such a beautiful voice – it was filled with such sadness, so much loneliness." He laughed; it was cold, hallow and very unlike Klavier.

"Perhaps it was all just a trick or maybe she truly was lonely, but regardless, I invited her back with me. That night," he paused as if searching for the right words, "she sang for me."

Sprawled along the length of his couch, Ema chose not to comment on his unnecessary euphemism.

"I found her again the next night, singing in the empty hall with that beautiful voice. I couldn't resist."

Her lips curled into a small, sad smile. _Stupid fop._

"Then after our last concert was the wrap-up party. We had just finished an international tour, so of course we celebrated to our fullest. That night, everyone kept on toasting and Daryan just kept on pouring us drink after drink. I remember that somewhere along the line, she joined us at the bar to take a few celebratory shots with Daryan and I. After that, the rest of the night is a blur."

Ema remained silent. Though she had never attended one of the Gavinners infamous after-parties, she had figured as much.

"We were careful the two nights before, but I don't remember any of the events that happened after leaving the party, just that we woke up together again that morning. When we said our goodbyes, she thanked me for my company, I praised her for her voice. That was it. After all, there was nothing there. All we shared was sex. It was supposed to be the end."

It was somewhat disquieting for her to hear such crude statements from the usually elegant and euphuistic prosecutor. After it became clear he wasn't planning to continue, Ema took a deep breath and forced out the question trapped in her throat.

"When'd you find out?"

"What?"

"About Alex."

"This past Monday."

It only took those three words to explain her quiet week.

"Her husband was constantly away for business, they probably spent more time apart than together. When she found out she was pregnant, she didn't want to risk going to a doctor for an abortion out of fear that it could be used against her as blackmail in the future. Her mother is a midwife, so she feigned illness and went to live with her mother in the countryside until she gave birth. Afterwards she returned to her husband's manor, leaving Aleksander with his grandmother. She said she visited them on occasion.

"After the Gavinners disbanded, our publicist made it very difficult for paparazzi and journalists to find us, fans as well. It was almost impossible for her to get in contact with me.

"Then a few weeks ago, she found me by chance. Apparently, I was featured in the same political magazine as her husband – the article stated that I was a prosecutor in Los Angeles. I guess she had some friends in the legal circles since I walked into the prosecutor's office on Monday and found her harassing my secretary. The rest of the week deteriorated from there."

"There were no tears, barely any emotion. She claimed that she didn't want Aleksander to suffer for our mistakes. If she brought Aleksander home to her husband, he would throw them both out. And I suppose something akin to love prevented her from leaving him at the nearest orphanage. I pulled a few strings and got DNA tests done anonymously. I started the contract the moment I received the results. It took some 36 hours to finish both of them."

36 hours sounded like a long time, but to draft a massive legal contract in English _and_ German in that span of time was truly an incredible feat. Ema had to admit, Prosecutor Gavin wasn't called a legal genius without reason.

"When Herr Chief called to inform me of your new case, it was the perfect opportunity. I immediately requested that you came to meet with me at my office and I believe the rest falls into place, ja?"

Ema finally released the heavy sigh she had been holding back. Suddenly, the few awful hours she experienced yesterday felt so insignificant compared to turbulent _week_ Klavier must have had. There were no words that could describe the intense sympathy she felt for him at that moment and nothing she felt she could say to help the situation. There was no sense in placing blame or dwelling on past regrets. Thus, she chose to remain silent.

It was a comfortable silence between two oddly assorted friends, who had just shared an exhausting day together.

* * *

Just as sleep was finally washing over her again, Ema lazily called out to man across the room.

"Ja?" He murmured back, sounding half asleep himself.

"What bus can I take back to my place?"

"No one uses public transportation in Beverly Hills. I'll call you a cab in the morning."

_Rich bastards…_

She realized that she must have said that out loud, because she heard Klavier's quiet chuckle fading into the fuzzy warmth that overtook her.

… _in the morning…_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Notes:  
**  
**[2009.08.21]** Wow! It's been a long time coming. This chapter is a real monster, but well worth the effort. The background is officially completed! Point out any inconsistencies and contradictions now, or forever read in peace. Also, feel free to leave any other comments! I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who left reviews over the past few months! Reading each and every one of them as helped me continue writing, so thank you. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all in the moooorning (i.e. next chapter)!  
**  
[2009.08.22] **Just got around to going through all the reviews for the past few months and I wanted to give a special shout out to **lazyguy90 **for continuously leaving encouraging reviews my stories (and many other stories too!): you're awesome, man!  
Next, I just wanted to **_personally thank_** the **anonymous readers** and the **readers who don't have a FF[.net] account.** Since I can't send you PMs through the site, I guess I'll have to thank you guys here: "Your reviews actually do encourage us authors to keep writing, so thank **YOU **(yes, **YOU**!) for taking the few minutes out of your busy lives to leave a few kind words. Take care and see you in the next chapter, which will _not_ take five months to be released, I promise!"  
And **_FINALLY_**, I wanted to give a shout to **"Yim", **whoever you are/if you're still reading, for leaving your blunt review: "Well thanks for your opinion and I'm going to work hard to make this story better. Rest assured that I'm not going to give up just because of one kick."


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